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Kitesurfing is ridiculously hard to learn? That's news to me, learned it last year at 35, was not THAT difficult.

To what level?

Being able to waterstart, turn and stay upwind is akin to being able to order an evening meal in a foreign language.

That may be enough to say box ticked, I've learnt that, but in reality your not going to be throwing down megaloops or back mobes; that's ridiculously hard.

Not trying to knock you personally, fantastic that you've taken it up; Maybe I'm just bitter that after well over 10 years at this I still get shown up by the local kids :)

How much of that is about the difficulty of the skill and how much of that is the potential for injury? I disagree that learning those skills is harder with age, but healing is undeniably slower for older people, so you tend to become injury averse.

Out of interest, do you do other sports that are in some way similar? I picked up skiing way faster than friends (or so they say). But then I already do or have done a number of outdoor sports. (I think controlling your fear is a large part in learning "extreme" sports). I am crap at languages but I see other people who already speak a few languages pick them up far faster than me.

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